Birdorable Masked Lapwing

Today's new bird in this special 10th anniversary Birdorable Bonanza is the Masked Lapwing, a species found in parts of Australia, New Zealand, and New Guinea.

There are two distinct subspecies of Masked Lapwing; birds in the northern range have an all white-neck while southern-dwelling birds have a distinct black neck stripe. The size of the wattles varies between the subspecies as well.

Male and female Masked Lapwings look alike; both have greyish-brown upperparts and white underparts. Their plumage does not change seasonally. Males and females both also have yellow wing spurs that are used in defending the nest or territory. Swooping attacks against potential invaders are especially common at nest sites after chicks have hatched and are mobile.

Masked Lapwing Photo
Photo by Greg Schechter (CC BY 2.0)



Tomorrow's new bird is a shy Eurasian forest species with a striking plumage and a melodious song. Can you guess the species?

Birdorable Ovenbird

Today's new species is a relatively large ground-dwelling wood warbler that lives across much of North America: the Ovenbird!

Ovenbirds are relatively abundant across their range, which includes much of North America; they are not found in the far west. They are migratory, spending the winter across parts of Central America, the Caribbean, and Florida.

Because of their abundance, Ovenbirds have often been the subjects of scientific studies. The species has been the focal point of several habitat fragmentation studies.

Ovenbirds are known for their breeding song, a loud chant that sounds like the mnemonic "Teacher! Teacher! Teacher!". Their relatively drab plumage and tendency to stay close to the ground make them hard to find visually, but their conspicuous and familiar song makes them fairly easy to locate.


Photo by leppyone (CC BY 2.0)


Tomorrow's new bird is a type of plover found Down Under. It has spurs and wattles but is named for a facial feature. Can you guess the species?

Birdorable White-cheeked Turaco

Today's new Birdorable Bonanza bird is a pretty bird from Africa: the White-cheeked Turaco!

White-cheeked Turacos are beautiful birds in the Musophagidae ("banana eater") family. Turacos are gregarious and social birds that live in family groups of around 10 birds.

The underside of the White-cheeked Turaco's wings are crimson red. This, along with their green feathers, makes their plumage special in the avian world. Most green plumage in birds is the result of a yellow pigment combined with the physical structure of the feather (the way they reflect light) -- they only appear green but are not truly green. Turacos have the only truly green pigment known in birds. The red underwings have a similar story: turacos are the only birds to have the true red pigment turacin.

Although they are from eastern central Africa, colorful turacos are common in captivity and can be viewed in zoos all over the world. The White-cheeked Turaco is found in aviaries at the Toronto Zoo, the National Aviary in Pittsburgh, Folly Farm in the U.K., and others.


Photo by Ozzy Delaney (CC BY 2.0)

Tomorrow's new bird is a large species of North American wood warbler, named for the shape of its nest. Can you guess the species?

Birdorable Steller's Sea Eagle

Our special 10th anniversary 2016 Birdorable Bonanza continues today with the third bird in the series: the Steller's Sea Eagle, a very large raptor that lives in coastal habitats in northeast Asia. These powerful, heavy birds are among the world's largest eagles, along with the Philippine Eagle of the Philippines and the Harpy Eagle of South America.

Steller's Sea Eagles feed mainly on fish hunted in relatively shallow freshwater. They also take other items as prey, including seabirds like gulls, ducks, and herons.

The Steller's Sea Eagle is considered to be vulnerable to extinction by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), and its population is in decline. It faces threats including loss of habitat due to human development and water pollution from industry and agriculture.


Photo by Alastair Rae (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Tomorrow's new bird is known for its special plumage. Its greens are truly green, and its reds are truly red. Can you guess what the species is?

Birdorable Greater Bird-of-Paradise

It's the second day of our 2016 Bonanza, where we're introducing a new Birdorable bird each day through December 4th.

Today's new bird is the Greater Bird-of-paradise, a large species found in parts of New Guinea.

There are 42 species in the birds-of-paradise (Paradisaeidae) family, and seven in the same genus (Paradisaea) as the Greater Bird-of-paradise. The birds in this family are known for being sexually dimorphic, meaning that males differ in appearance from females. Males typically have long ornamental plumes around the flanks that are used during breeding displays. As the name implies, this species is the largest of the genus. Our cute version here is the male; females have a uniform reddish-brown plumage.

The scientific name of this species is Paradisaea apoda, which means "legless bird of paradise". Early study skins were prepared without feet and legs by locals, so Europeans studying the specimens were unable to observe the feet.

Tomorrow's new bird is considered by some to be the largest species of raptor in the world. It is certainly among the largest, along with the Harpy Eagle and the Philippine Eagle. Can you guess the species?

Birdorable Scissor-tailed Flychatcher

It's time for our 2016 Birdorable Bonanza! This time we are commemorating the 10 year anniversary of Birdorable with a 10-bird celebration.

Today's new bird is the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, a beautiful species in the kingbird genus and the tyrant flycatcher family. These beauties breed in south central parts of the United States and migrate down into Central America for the winter.

Male and female Scissor-tailed Flycatchers have similar plumage: greyish upperparts, light underparts with salmon or pink flanks, and black and white feathers on their extremely long tails. Males have longer tails in general -- up to 30% longer than typical females.

Scissor-tailed Flycatchers feed on a variety of insects which they hunt in a hawking fashion (flying out to capture prey discovered while waiting on a perch). Their long tails make them agile in flight, able to make quick turns and drops in pursuit of prey.

Tomorrow's new bird is the largest in a family known for their unique plumage and remarkable courtship rituals. Can you guess what species it is?

Can you believe that we started Birdorable way back in 2006?! To celebrate our 10th anniversary, we will start our annual Birdorable Bonanza this Friday, revealing a new bird each day for 10 days. We'll share the birds here on the blog and on our Facebook page, so stay tuned!

Birdorable 10 year anniversary
Birdorable Gray Jay in Canada

Last year, in a public poll conducted by the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, Canadian citizens voted for an unofficial national bird to represent their country. The finalists were: the Canada Goose, long associated with the national identiy; the Common Loon, a bird featured on Canadian currency; the Black-capped Chickadee; the Snowy Owl; and the Gray Jay. The Common Loon won the popular vote, but the Gray Jay was selected by Canadian Geographic to be Canada's new national bird.

Some of the birds on the list were already recognized as official provincial birds in Canada: the Black-capped Chickadee of New Brunswick; the Common Loon of Ontario; and the Snowy Owl of Quebec.

Gray Jays are found in all of Canada's provinces and remain on location year-round. These plucky little gregarious birds are known for their intelligence. Other jays officially representing Canada are the official provicial birds of Yukon (Common Raven), Prince Edward Island (Blue Jay) and British Columbia (Steller's Jay).

Officially, Canada has two animal national symbols that are recognized by the federal government: the beaver and the Canadian Horse share the title of National Animal of Canada. It is unclear if the government will recognize the Gray Jay, or any other species, as the National Bird of Canada.

Cute Gray Jay Gifts

Birdorable Birds of Costa Rica Women's T-Shirt

This fun Costa Rica design, featuring some of the country's most beautiful birds, is shown here on a comfortable classic baseball jersey for women, made from 100% super-soft ring-spun cotton by Bella. The design is also available on dozens of other t-shirt styles and colors.

The Keel-billed Toucan is found across much of Costa Rica, except for along parts of the Pacific Coast. The Resplendent Quetzal is a specialty found along the central mountains. The Collared Redstart is endemic to Costa Rica and western Panama. And the Scarlet Macaw, once nearly extirpated from the country, can now be found in two isolated regions along the Pacific Coast.

This is a great design for birders who have been to Costa Rica or love birding in this amazing Central American country.

More gifts with this design